New York Citys Waterways could see nearly $3 billion in improvements under a plan released by city officials in March.

Rendering Courtesy Of Shop Architects

Caption: Pier 15 Located south of South Street Seaport and north of Wall Street, Pier 15 is part of the East River esplanade planned in lower Manhattan, one of 130 projects in the citys waterfront plan.

The Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy, led by the Dept. of City Planning, represents the first citywide plan for the waterfront in almost two decades and aims to reconnect New Yorkers with the waterfront.

The first of two components includes 130 funded projects that could create an estimated 13,000 construction jobs and 3,400 permanent jobs, according to city officials. Plans call for development of more than 50 acres of new waterfront parks, the creation of 14 new waterfront esplanades and a new East River ferry service between Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

The second component, called Vision 2020, is the first-ever comprehensive plan for the citys waterways, providing a blueprint of its 520 miles of shoreline. Water quality is a major component of the plan, which calls for $1.6 billion in wastewater treatment plant upgrades. The plan also outlines $650 million in gray infrastructure; $140 million to enhance drainage by acquiring land in Staten Island; $50 million in waterfront ecological restoration projects; and private investment of $150 million to facilitate 21 waterfront development projects.

Were committed to making [New York Citys waterways] a part of New Yorkers lives again for recreation, transportation, jobs and housing, says Deputy Mayor Robert Steel.